"I think we were overly aggressive," Porter said. "It would have been a better idea to slow the game down and get the pace in your favor, but it felt like the more outs he recorded, the quicker our at-bats got."

Houston has lost five in a row and nine of the last 10 games. The Astros own the worst record in the majors at 37-79.

"We're in all the games close until the end, but then something happens and the other team wins," Carter said.

Thanks to Keuchel's lengthy start, the Astros' bullpen ended a four-game streak of allowing at least one run. Reliever Jorge De Leon got Andrus to ground into a force out in relief of Keuchel.

"We've been in position to win ballgames, but this is major league baseball," Porter said. "Nobody is walking away feeling like it's a moral victory. I don't believe in moral victories, in the first place."

NOTES: Houston SS Jonathan Villar, who had not started the previous three games because of a left thumb sprain, did not start Sunday's game, either. Porter said Villar was not in the lineup Sunday because the Rangers were starting a left-hander and the thumb bothers Villar more batting right, but Villar is expected to start Monday. ... Astros starters have posted a 3.69 ERA and seven quality starts in their last 11 games.